It's been a long time coming, but the first chapter's finally here. Many thanks to arnold the female purple pygmy puff for betaing my story. You're a star!
Disclaimer: I don't own Sky High, or any of its canon characters.
Chapter One- Jenga and Hero Support
Graduation.
It came with the usual fanfare- nauseating anxiety, plastered smiles and repeated thanks to everyone's congratulatory remarks. I clutched the rolled up piece of paper that told the world I could now live my dream, as if I were drowning and it was the only thing that could save me.
Not a good way to begin life as a Super-Hero.
But I got through the ceremony and even the graduation party that came afterward. Warren and I sat on the benches of the school gym (which had now been transformed into a festive haven) in uncomfortable formal wear, watching the graduating class of Sky High- the girls clutching each other and tearfully promising to keep in touch; the boys generally making asses out of themselves.
After four long years and everything that had happened during that time… it was over. We'd left Sky High, but took the memories with us. Many had left Maxville to start their heroic lives in other parts of the world. I sometimes dreamt when I was younger what it would be like to start over in a new place. In the end though, I knew that leaving would be impossible. I'd lost too much at the expense of this city, become too closely intertwined with its moral shades of gray. I would stay. Not out of some sense of allegiance, but because I truly felt I had no other choice-
"Are you playing or what?"
I snapped back to the present. Warren was sitting across from me, eyebrows raised in expectancy.
"Right. Um…" I scanned the tower of wooden blocks and finally selected a center block near the top. It came out easily enough. The tower remained upright. I placed it at the top and waited for Warren to make his move.
Because of a greater Hero to Hero-Support ratio this year, Heroes were not immediately assigned to their Hero-Support on Graduation Day. As a result, we had to wait several days for a call from the school telling us if we were going to receive Hero Support this year and if so, who it would be.
In the meantime Warren and I tried to keep ourselves busy. We were in a local park, lazily working our way through our second game of Jenga. It was a warm June day and a good breeze blew. After the winter we'd had, I welcomed the good weather.
It had been only two months since the death of Lisa Kline (and subsequently Jana Vega). Two months since I saw my cousin Paul…who had died himself several months before. The only person who had survived the vengeful attempt was Nicole Barnes. She was currently in Maxville's Youth Detainment Center for Super Teens, awaiting trial.
Amazing how much could happen in less than a year.
But I didn't want to think about that now. The sun was high, school was over and I was spending a nice afternoon with Warren, despite our parents' orders to give each other a wide distance. It had all stemmed from a stupid argument between my father and Warren's mother years ago and then later, a physical fight between my dad and Warren's father, Barron Battle. We could've cared less about the whole thing though. It was a pointless feud that had happened too long ago to matter, and had nothing to do with either of us.
"So?" I asked, chewing on the tip of my thumb.
"So…what?" Warren asked distractedly as he carefully pulled out a block and placed it at the top.
"So… what now? I mean, you're finally out of Sky High. What are you going to do?"
Warren looked at me over the tower of blocks. "I'm going to fight crime," he said slowly, as if I were a two year-old.
I rolled my eyes. "You know what I mean. You have to do something when you're off the clock. What's your cover going to be?"
His wry grin faded. Warren cleared his throat and shrugged a little too nonchalantly. "I don't know. I was thinking…college, or something." He pulled out another block. The tower wobbled and we paused anxiously. It remained standing.
"College?" I asked as soon as I resumed breathing. I made my play.
"What's wrong with that?" I could almost feel the defensiveness radiating off of him.
"Nothing. I think it's a great idea, actually. What are you going to study?"
He paused in mid-reach and looked up at me. "Still working on that. But I have time." He rested his block at the top and waited. "What about you?"
"Well, Dad pulled some strings and got me a paid internship at a detective agency. He says if I do a good enough job, they'll hire me full time after six months." I couldn't help the sarcasm that crept into my voice.
Warren gave me one of those intense searching looks that always made me glance away uncomfortably. "Well you sound really excited about it."
"It's a good job," I said quickly, not wanting to sound completely ungrateful.
"But it's not what you want to do."
I hesitated before admitting, "No, not really."
Warren leaned forward slightly. "What do you want to do?"
My gaze slipped downward to the game we were playing. "Honestly, I don't know. It's all been about being a Hero, you know? And with everything that's happened … I've never really had time to think about doing anything else."
"Maybe now's a good time to start."
I thought about what he said as I returned to the tower of blocks that stood precariously between us. Quietly, I pulled one out.
The whole tower collapsed.
I frowned at it. Warren grinned.
"Best two out of three?" I suggested.
xxxxxxxxxxx
I got home later that afternoon and heard my parents talking in the kitchen.
"Hey guys, I'm home!" I called out.
"Anna could you come in here for a minute? We have to talk." It was my mother that said it.
Paranoia immediately kicked in. Did they know where I'd been?
I walked into the kitchen and found my mom and dad sitting at the table.
"What's up?" I asked nervously.
"Come here," Dad said, pulling out a chair. He was beaming. "Have a seat."
"We want to show you something," Mom added.
As I took a seat at the table, I looked at them curiously. I had rarely seen them so excited.
My mother pushed something across the table, and I picked it up.
It was a pamphlet advertising laser surgery for scar removal. There were several 'before and after' pictures, as well as a variety of payment options.
"I called Dr. Fort," I heard my mother say, "and he says our insurance will cover it. It might not remove the appearance of them completely, but it's worth a try, right?"
I stared the glossy folded paper, stupidly not connecting the dots at first. Then in a flash, my hand flew to my face.
"So when do you want to set up the appointment?" Dad asked.
I was silent for several seconds. Then I pushed the pamphlet back across the table. "I don't."
My father blinked at me. "What?"
"I'm not doing it, Dad."
Confusion and surprise from them both. "Annie, why not?"
"If you're scared, you don't have to be." My mother said soothingly. "You'll get an anesthetic, and-"
"I said I'm not doing it!"
I was on my feet before I was even aware of it, furious and not knowing why. But I couldn't seem to help it. It shocked me almost as much as it did them.
My outburst shut them up pretty quickly. For a long while they looked at me as if they had no idea who I was.
My mother spoke first. "Anna, I don't understand. We thought you'd be happy."
It was the expression on her face that made my anger vanish just as quickly as it had flared up. I closed my eyes and sat down, feeling embarrassed. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to-" I sighed. "Sorry, but I can't do this."
There were several seconds of silence. Then quietly, my father said, "Okay Annie. You don't have to get the procedure done if you don't want to. But … I don't understand."
I bit my lip, staring at the table. I didn't know what to say to them. For months my face had been a constant reminder of what I'd been through and what I'd lost. Every time I looked into the mirror a small part of me relived that terrible night. I hated my scars. And yet, I couldn't give them up.
Before I could try to explain any of this however, the phone rang.
"I'll get it," I said quickly, desperate to get out of there.
In the living room, I picked up the phone.
"Hello?"
"Hi, this is Miss Anna Arrian?"
"Uh, yeah."
"This is Nora Cooper of the Maxville Super Hero Division. I'm calling to inform you that Hero Support has been assigned to you. Do you have a pen?"
"Yeah- yes, I do!" I said, as I snatched the pen and pad that always lay beside the phone. My heart was racing. This was it. It was finally happening.
I took down the information carefully, and then thanked her before hanging up. My dad came into the room.
"Annie? Who was that?"
I turned to him, the past few minutes temporarily forgotten. "They called, Dad. I've been assigned."
xxxxxxxxxxxxx
My Hero Support lived in the heart of Maxville's metropolitan area. The neighborhood was fairly busy. Some middle-school aged kids were playing hockey in the street, heedless of the honking cars and angry shouting.
I glanced down at the paper in my hand, which contained the name and address I was looking for. The street was correct; it should only be a couple of houses down. There it was, number nineteen: A small brick stone house near the end of the street. I walked up to the front door, trying to feel calm.
Loud music blared from somewhere within. I rang the bell several times, but no one answered. Unable to stand the suspense any longer, I knocked on the door as hard as I could without actually breaking it down. Finally, the door opened.
An olive-skinned Asian woman stood there, regarding me with polite uncertainty. "Good evening."
"Yes, good evening," I said, aware of how breathless I sounded. "My name's Anna Arrian. I'm here to see… Evelyn Domagas?" I prayed I pronounced the last name right.
The woman's face lit up. "Oh! Are you from…her school?" she asked in a low voice.
Relieved, I nodded.
"Please come in!" she said excitedly, stepping back.
"Thank you."
Once inside, I took off my light jacket and gave a brief look around. The house was well decorated with pictures and artifacts, bowls of potpourri and vases of flowers. If it weren't arranged the way it was, the place would have looked cluttered. But it was all neat and cozy. The music still blared out from somewhere upstairs.
The woman seemed more flustered than I was. "I'm sorry, I never introduced myself. I'm Olivia Domagas, her mother." She shook my hand hastily and before I could reply she continued, "But enough of that! You must be eager to see Evie. I mean Evelyn, I call her Evie… Evie! Come down here! And tell your brother to lower that music!
Several seconds later I heard the thump thump thump of someone racing down the stairs. And then a girl came into view. She was kind of short, had straight black hair and even blacker eyes, which widened in interest when she saw me. Stopping a few feet away from me, she smiled shyly.
I cleared my throat with some effort, frantic to get this moment over and done with. "Ah…hi. I'm Anna. We've been assigned to work together."
My words seemed to do the trick. She stepped forward quickly, all hesitation forgotten and gave me a brief once-over. Then without warning, she pulled me into a hug that threatened to cut off my circulation.
"Uh- well... okay-" I stammered, still in the throes of the embrace that would not quit.
xxxxxxxxxxxxxx
To say that Evelyn was talkative would have been a major understatement. She chattered away about how much she'd been looking forward to finally becoming certified Hero Support and her plans to safeguard the city; how her mother used to be a Hero before her husband (Evie's dad) died from a sudden heart attack when Evie was just three years old. Now her mother worked as a nurse in a senior citizen home. Evie went on about her grandfather who had been a well-known Super Hero in Manila, and how awesome it would be when we'd finally save the world ourselves-
"Um, Evelyn?" I broke in at last. We were sitting in her kitchen nursing glasses of orange juice and I thought it best to stop her before she settled into part two of her life story.
"You can call me Evie. Everyone else does," she said, happily picking at what looked like a mustard stain on her red blouse.
"Okay, uh…Evie."
"That's me."
"I don't really want to sound condescending or anything, but… I'm kind of assuming you know what my power is-"
"Of course I do! I've seen you in Save the Citizen. Very awesome by the way."
"Thanks. So with that in mind… what exactly is your power?"
Her smile faltered, just for a second. "Oh, that. Well, I create hemoglobin based sub-atomic particles for the purpose of concealment."
I stared at her, nonplussed. "Could I get the layman's term for that?"
"I create dust."
"Dust?"
"Red dust to be exact. From my blood."
I blinked at her, determined to keep the smile on my face even if it killed me. "Oh. That's cool."
"Yeah." She grinned.
Someone came into the room then. It was a boy who looked a lot like Evelyn. His hair was short and spiky though, and it stuck out in all directions. Making a beeline for the refrigerator, he didn't seem to notice either of us.
Evie narrowed her eyes at him. "My brother has no manners at all," she muttered. Picking up an orange from the bowl of fruit that lay nearby, she threw it neatly at him. It hit him squarely in the shoulder.
"Ow!" he cried, whirling around angrily. "What's your damage Evelyn?"
"Can't you see we have a guest?" she snapped.
He paused and stood up straighter, looking at me for the first time.
"Hey, I know you," he said at last.
"I'm Anna. From...school."
"I'm Evan. You Evie's Hero?"
"Yeah."
"Cool," he said. To Evelyn he added, "You throw stuff at me one more time and I'll-"
"You'll what, let me beat you up again? Get lost!"
He flushed with embarrassment, glancing at me. "Stop telling me what to do!"
Evie rolled her eyes. "Or what?" she challenged.
I glanced down at my juice uncomfortably. Was this normal? I wondered. Being an only child sheltered me from a fair share of petty arguments and Paul was the closest thing I'd ever had to a sibling. We'd had our disagreements sure, but we never fought over silly stuff like this. Maybe they'd had a fight earlier. Somehow though, I didn't think so.
Ignoring his sister, Evan told me, "She's just showing off for you."
"I am not!"
"What she fails to realize," he went on, "is that she's not the only one expecting their Hero today."
That stopped Evie short. "Really?"
"Yes. And ten bucks says my Hero's cooler than yours. No offense Anna," he added to me.
"None taken," I told him honestly.
Evie turned and looked me up and down, as if considering his bet. "You're on," she decided at last. I felt I should have been a little offended at this exchange but truthfully, I was kind of fascinated by the whole thing.
As if on cue, the doorbell rang. Evan jumped a little, his eyes alight. "Sweet!" he said, as he ran out of the kitchen. Equally curious, Evie and I followed him. We got there just in time to see Evan take a deep breath and open the door.
There on the front step stood Warren Peace.
"I guess this is the Domagas residence," he said, as soon as he saw me.
"Damn," Evie muttered, shoving her hand into her pocket and pulling out a crumpled ten dollar bill.
Evan snatched the money, grinning smugly.